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Hedgehog pathway inhibitor real-world treatment patterns in patients with basal cell carcinoma: a claims-based

Wenzhen Ge1, Chieh-I Chen1, Ning Wu1

  • 1Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA.

Future Oncology (London, England)
|June 23, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Hedgehog pathway inhibitors (HHIs) for advanced basal cell carcinoma are frequently discontinued, with 88% stopping treatment within a year. Reinitiation of these cancer therapies is uncommon in real-world practice.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Dermatology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a significant clinical challenge.
  • Hedgehog pathway inhibitors (HHIs) represent a targeted therapy for advanced BCC.
  • Understanding real-world treatment patterns is crucial for optimizing patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze real-world treatment patterns of Hedgehog pathway inhibitors (HHIs) in advanced basal cell carcinoma.
  • To evaluate the time to treatment discontinuation and reinitiation of HHIs.
  • To identify factors influencing treatment persistence in a large patient cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of IBM MarketScan® claims data from January 2013 to June 2019.
  • Identification of 526 patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma who initiated HHI therapy.
  • Kaplan-Meier methods were used to estimate time to treatment discontinuation and reinitiation, incorporating a 60-day grace period.

Main Results:

  • The median time to first HHI discontinuation was 144 days.
  • A high risk of discontinuation by 12 months was observed (88.0%).
  • The probability of HHI reinitiation within 12 months was low (19.7%), with a median time to second discontinuation of 118 days.

Conclusions:

  • Discontinuation of HHIs is a common occurrence in the real-world management of advanced basal cell carcinoma.
  • Reinitiation of HHI therapy after discontinuation is infrequent.
  • Further research is warranted to assess treatment persistence with newer HHI therapies.

Keywords:
Hedgehog pathway inhibitorsbasal cell carcinomareal-worldtreatment pattern

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